Carlota Ciganda put herself in a strong position after the opening round of the AIG Women’s Open, sharing the clubhouse lead at two under.
The Spaniard is looking for her maiden Major title at Walton Heath, and she’ll hope that as her challenge continues, she won't run into the same controversy as July’s Amundi Evian Championship. Ciganda was disqualified after her second round in the Major after being given a two-shot penalty for slow play and refusing to add it to her scorecard.
Following her impressive round of 70 at Walton Heath, Ciganda admitted she’d made a conscious effort to be quicker on the greens but defended her pace of play and hinted there ought to be more leeway from authorities given the importance of Majors.
She said: “On the greens, a little bit quicker. We’ve been practising the routine and I think we were fine today. We’ve been waiting a few holes to the group in front, so I think we did a good job.
“You have to understand that it’s professional golf and we are playing for a living and sometimes Majors if you hit it in the rough or a bad situation, it’s going to take longer. If you make a bogey, it’s just a couple more minutes, so I think they should understand that a bit more.”
Ciganda also voiced her concerns over the apparently inexact nature of the length of time afforded for shots, saying: “They always say the time starts when it’s your turn to play, but when is that? It’s just so subjective. I think in the end, if they put a referee in every group, a lot of girls, they will be penalised and I think sometimes it’s not fair.”
After the Amundi Evian Championship, Ciganda took to social media to suggest certain players were held to different standards than others concerning slow play. Even though she admitted she’s not one of the quicker players, she again claimed she was being singled out.
She continued: “I know I’m not quick, like I know that there are a lot of quicker players out there but I think there are a lot of slow players, and they don’t get penalized and they don’t get timed as much as I do, so I don’t think that’s fair.”
Ciganda, who also incurred a slow-play penalty at the 2021 Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play, said despite the controversy, she hopes other players give her the respect she gives them.
“At the end of the day I’m here to play golf and I’m trying to do my best," explained the two-time LPGA Tour winner. "I think I am a nice person and I respect everyone when I play, so I just hope they can do the same with me.
“Some players, they play quicker and some players, they are slower. Yeah, I mean, of course, I can be quicker, but a lot of them, they can be quicker, too. I don’t want to put too much focus. I just play golf and I love what I do, and that’s it.”
